Garment-clasp.



G. E. RIOKS.

GARMENT CLASP.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 26, 1912.

Patented Mar. 17, 1914.

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CHARLES E. RIGKS, OF DILLON, COLORADO, ASSIGNOR OF TWO-FIFTI-IS TOCHARLES A. KELLAR, 0F DILLON, COLORADO.

GARMENT-CLASP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 17, 1914.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES E. RIoKs, a citizen of the United States,residing at Dillon, in the county of Summit and State of Colorado, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Garment-Clasps, of wh1ch thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in garment clasps and hasparticular application to a clasp for use in conjunction with hosesupporters and the like.

In carrying out the present invention, 1t is my purpose to provide agarment clasp whereby the garment will be effectively gripped and whichwill be constructed in such manner that the portion of the garment to begrasped will be automatically fed into the clasp..

It is also my purpose to provide a device of the class described whereinby means of a pair of jaws and a feeder and a lever controlling the jawsand the feedeigthe garment will be fed to the clasp between the jaws andsubsequently gripped by the jaws.

Furthermore, I aim to provide a garment clasp which will embrace thedesired features of simplicity, efficiency, durability and strengthcoupled with cheapness of cost in manufacture and marketing and whichmay be conveniently manipulated.

IVith the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in theconstruction, combination and'arrangement of parts hereinafter set forthin andfalling within the scope of the claims.

In the accompanying drawing: Figure 1 is a plan view of a garment claspconstructed in accordance with the present invention, the same beingshown in use. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the clasp in open position.Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the feeder in initial garment fasteningposition. Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view through the clasp. Fig.5 is a perspective view of the feeder.

Referring now to the accompanying drawing in detail, the numeral 1indicates what may be termed the stationary jaw of the clasp, while 2designates the movable jaw which, in the present instance, has one endintegrally connected with the adjacent end of the stationary jaw as at 3and is preferably constructed of springy material, the jaw 2 tendingnormally to maintain an open position as shown in Fig. 2. Upstandingfrom the opposite side edges of the stationary jaw 1 and preferablyformed integral therewith are parallel alining pivot posts 4, 4 eachprovided at its upper end with two apertures 5, 5 disposed one above theother with respect to the jaw 1 and each alining with one of theapertures in the opposite post.

The numeral 6 indicates the manipulating lever preferably formed of astrip of metal bent outwardly as at 7 to form a heel 8, thence at rightangles to itself as at 9 to form a locking lug, the bent portion 9 beingprovided at its opposite side edges with outwardly extending pintlesinterchangeably associated with the alining apertures 5, 5 in the pivotposts 4, 1. From this construction, it will be seen that when the lever6 is in the position shown in Fig. 2, that is at approximately rightangles to the movable jaw 2, the clasp is open, while when the lever ismoved in a forward direction, the heel 8 will engage the adjacentportion of the upper surface of the movable jaw to move the lattertoward the fixed jaw. On the other hand, when the lever 6 is moved in arearward direction the locking lug formed by the bent portion 9 willengage the top surface of the movable jaw and move the latter toward thefixed jaw and into engagement therewith to close the clasp and lock thesame in closed position.

Each jaw 1, 2 adjacent to the free end thereof is formed with a seriesof transversely disposed slots appropriately spaced apart andalternating with the slots in the other jaw, and a series oftransversely disposed ribs 11 suitably spaced apart and alternating withthe ribs on the other jaw and adapted to be moved into the slots in theopposite jaw, th ribs 11 being formed on the inner confronting faces ofthe jaw and designed for the purpose of effectively gripping thematerial of the garment. As shown in Fig. 2, the ribs 11 on the lowerjaw are of various heights, the first rib being short while the secondis a littlehigher and the third of a height greater than the sec ond.This formation of the ribs enables the material between the jaws to begrasped at successive increasing pressures.

In order to feed the material of the garment into the clasp or betweenthe jaws thereof when the clasp is in open position, I employ what Iterm a feeder composed, in

the present instance, of a bar 12 having a series of depending teeth 13and slidably disposed within guides 14:, 14 composed of lengths of wireextending longitudinally of the opposite edges of the movable jaw 2 fora portion of its length and each having the opposite ends thereofconnected to the respective edge of the jaw, as clearly illustrated inFigs. 1 and 1. Pivotally connecteo to the lever 6 at the opposite sideedges thereof are rods or wires 15 having the free ends thereofpivotally connected to pintles 12 extending outwardly of the oppositeends of the bar 12 of-the feeder, the wires 15 being adapted, in themovement of the lever 6, to impart movement to the feeder. It will benoted that each guide 14 adjacent to its forward end is bulged or bentoutwardly as at 16 of the adjacent end of the movable jaw, while therear end of the guide is oulged outwardly of the ad acent portion of themovable jaw as at 17, so that when the feeder is at the free end of themovable jaw, such feeder will be disposed at an angle of approximately45 to the plane of the movable aw, while when the feeder is within thebulged portions 17 of the guides such feeder will be in a releasedposition as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 2.

Extending upwardly from the pintles 12 are lugs 12 designed to engagethe under surface of the jaw 2 in order that outward swinging movementof the feeder, in the sliding movement thereof, will be avoided so thatthe adjacent portion of the garment will be brought into the jaws of theclasp.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawing, the construction, mode of operation and manner of employing myinvention will be readily apparent. \Vhen the manipulating lever 6 israised, assuming the same to have been closed, the locking lug formed bythe bent portion 9 of such lever disengages the upper surface of themovable jaw 2 and permits the latter to move away from the stationaryjaw to open the clasp. Upon the lever reaching a osition atapproximately right angles to tile plane of the movable jaw, the rods orwires 15 impart movement to the feeder bar 12 to move the same out ofthe bulged portions 17 of the guides and in the continued movement ofthe manipulating lever the feeder moves along the guides 14 and entersthe bulged portions 16 at the forward ends thereof and assumes aposition at approximately 45 to the plane of the movable j aw, as shownin Fig. 3. The end of the stationary jaw 1 is now placed adjacent to thefabric of the garment while the heel 8 of the manipulating lever forcesthe movable jaw toward the fabric and consequently engages the teeth 13of the feeder with'theadjacent part of such fabric so that when thelever 6 is moved in a reverse direction the fabric is drawn into theclasp and between the jaws thereof, the movable jaw, at this time,moving away from the stationary jaw. After the lever passes theapproximate center of its path of movement, the movable jaw is actuatedtoward the fixed jaw incident to the locking lug formed by the bentportion 9 of such lever engaging with the adjacent surface of the jaw 2with the effect that the garment is grasped by the ribs 11 of the jaws.Immediately preceding the lever 6 reaching the. end of its that I do notlimit or confine myself to the precise details of construction hereinshown and described, as modification and variation may be made withinthe scope of the claims and without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

I claim:

1. A garment clasp comprising a pair of aws, a feeder carried by one ofsaid jaws and adapted for sliding movement along the inner face thereof,and a lever for moving said jaws to closed position and sliding saidfeeder between said jaws.

2. A garment clasp comprising a stationary jaw, a movable jaw movabletoward and away from the stationary jaw, pivot posts upstanding fromsaid stationary jaw, a manipulating lever pivoted between said postsabove said movable jaw, said lever being formed to provide a locking lugadapted to move the movable jaw toward the stationary jaw and lock thejaws in closed position in the rearward movement of the lever, and aheel adapted to move the movable jaw toward the stationary jaw in theforward movement of the lever, guides carried by said movable jaw, afeeder slidably disposed within said guides, and connections betweensaid feeder and manipulating lever whereby the feeder will be movedoutwardly of the jaws in the forward movement of the lever and movedbetween the aws in the rearward movement of the lever.

3. A garment clasp comprising a stationary aw, a movable jaw movabletoward and away from the stationary jaw, a lever for manipulating saidmovable jaw and capable of movement in a forward and rearward directionand formed to provide a locking lug adapted to move the movable jaw intoclosed position and hold the same in such in the forward movement of thelever and 10 moved between the jaws in the rearward movement of thelever.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES E. RICKS. Witnesses:

CHAS. A. KELLAR, J. C. STRONG.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents Washington, D. G.

